CCTT Resource Sharing Meeting
Minutes
April 2, 2015
In attendance:
Cindy Maciel, Keri Gonsalves, Susan Duffey Smith, Trish Baird, Tara Styer, Jon Pilsbury, Devin Bradley, Peggy
Martin, Phebe Bell, Ruth Hall, Teresa Crimmens, Andy Spivak, Ben Visnyei, Ava Murphy, Meera Beser, Tamara
Grosvenor, Amy Kelley, Ileana Vokel, Scott Trevithick, Andrew Gomez, Juliette Colbert, Arnie Lopez, Viviana
Colosmo-Blair, Kathy Tanner, Alison Schwedner, Sara Schrichte, Adam McGill, Rebecca Youtz, Tina Peek, Brandi
Fowler, Shannon Glass, Corine Harvey, Jane Carson, Rolann Aronson, Christie Goates, Melinda Mehler.
DISCUSSION TOPIC/
SPEAKER
Community Updates
Alison Schwedner, CCTT
Director
DISCUSSION POINTS
Affordable Housing: Town of Truckee and Nevada Co have
contributed funds to develop an affordable housing needs
assessment.
Suicide Prevention: several recent suicides remind us to be
mindful that many of our community members are
experiencing this crisis.
State of the Children in Tahoe
Truckee
Alison Schwedner, CCTT
Director
Nevada and Placer Co. Child
Welfare Services Overview
Phebe Bell, Program Manager
Placer and Nevada Co. HHS
Child Abuse Prevention Council
Overview
Cindy Maciel, STEPP Center
Director, CAPC Co-Chair
Alison shared some statistics about children in our
community from the Community Report Card. We
recognize that poverty, substance abuse and disparities are
impacting children and families in the region.
Phebe gave a quick structural overview to help us understand
how programs work within the counties.
Nevada County:
Social Svcs.: - Child Protective Svcs.
Behavioral Health – children’s behavioral health (in house,
but wraparound is contracted out to EMQ)
Public Health
Placer Co.
Human Svcx
ASOC
CSOC – integrate beh.health and child welfare svcs. closer
together.
Public Health
Behavioral health services are contracted outj (sierra m h
(adults)and emq (kids) – wraparound services are in house
with Kathy et al.
Cindy thanked the Collaborative for bringing us together.
Vision: safe from abuse in all forms.
Mission: effective resources available for our community
CAPC funds programs like Daddy & Me, Child
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FOLLOW UP/NEXT
STEPS
Grief workshop at
NTFRC tomorrow.
Flyers were available.
“Know the Signs”
trainings engage our
natural support
networks and are
available in our
community (short 1530m sessions can be
set up for your agency
or group.
Data, issue briefings,
and presentations
available from CCTT.
When all else fails in
your efforts to
understand structure,
you can contact Phebe
for guidance.
Meetings are the first
Thursday of the Month
from 9:30-11:30A.M.
at Truckee FRC.
Development Conference, mandated reporting trainings in
the Truckee North Lake Tahoe area.
Child Abuse Prevention Panel
Kathy Tanner, Placer CSOC
Viviana Colosmo-Blair
Andrew Gomez, Nevada Co. CPS
Juliette Colbert,Nevada Co. CPS
Arnie Lopez, Truckee PD
Panelists introduced themselves and their agency’s role in
Child Abuse Prevention.
Placer CSOC:
-role is to respond to referrals, training community members
to make referrals, perform investigations to determine
whether to open a case.
Truckee PD:
-staff reviews referrals, if serious it is sent to investigative
dept and coordinate with Tahoe SAFE Alliance, Family
Resource Center
Nevada Co. CPS
-CPS has a decision making tool provided by the state to
assess incoming referrals.
-determine if 10 day response or immediate response based
on assessment of intake workers and staff.
What are trends you are seeing?
Placer CSOC: root issues of parental mental health, dv and
substance abuse that lead to neglect or abuse. Also seeing
referrals for children with special needs/ more at risk. Tahoe
accounts for 9-14 referrals per month of the total about 300
in the entire county. Not all are investigated, some are
referred to other agencies if the referral doesn’t meet the
criteria for abuse or neglect. Case load of ongoing cases is
small overall (approx. 10 open cases). Also do a lot of
voluntary work with families to try to keep kids in the
community and keep families out of the court system.
Custody issues
Nevada Co CPS: We don’t have authority to make contact
on every referral (refer to Civil Rights) – may need to get a
warrant in order to get permission to speak with a child.
Criteria set by the code is fairly clear – we may need to
continually report if individual incidents are not meeting the
criteria. Detaining a child is not CPS’ decision. Law
enforcement must have exigent circumstances and must
accompany. Andrew sees in Truckee a great deal of referrals
related to dv and alcohol abuse. In other Nev Co areas,
referrals come from positive meth or marijuana toxicology
reports of newborns. Throughout the county there are
reports of neglect, especially with some families living off
the grid. In this county (and Placer) we are not allowed to
interview children at school; parents must be present.
Difficult to get approval to override this rule.
Numbers
20% of total CPS investigations in Nev Co are in Truckee.
How do you collaborate in child abuse prevention efforts?
Nevada Co CPS: who handles the case can be confusing
depending on where events happened, where parents live,
who has primary custody. Once Release of Information is
signed, CPS can collaborate with wraparound services, other
agencies, CORR, law enforcement. Also work to set up
team meetings with other agencies.
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April is Child Abuse
Prevention Council
(wear blue 4/3 in
honor of CAP!P)
Remember there is a
process with the law.
Mandated reporters
work with children
and are entitled to
know the outcome of
the report. Most
mandated reporters are
mandated in the course
of their job. Nonmandated reporters
can remain
anonymous.
Placer Co CPS: when a referral is made, the reports get
cross reported between child welfare and law enforcement.
Collaborate with sherriff/law enforcement. When
investigating, some referrals with be Path 2, meaning
collaborating with FRC and family advocates and offering
resources. If criminal referral, collaborating immediately in
referral stage with law enforcement. Generally, if you report
to the wrong county, it will get passed on.
Relationships with schools and counselors has been very
important.
How does response look for different types of abuse?
Nevada CPS: Case by case response depending on the call.
Age of child, any disabilities, presence of protective parent
in the home, etc.
How do you maintain the anonymity of reporters?
Nevada CPS: mandated reporters remain anonymous. Try
to ask questions in an open-ended way (like we don’t know
where the child goes to school, who their counselor is, etc.).
Placer CSOC: Talk to family about how some people are
required to report, but could be anyone anywhere.
Truckee PD: Takes effort not to disclose and always be
clear that they legally can not.
Manadated reporter names may come out in a court of law.
What is differential response?
When a referral comes in, state assessment tool outcome has
three possibilities:
Path 1 – goes to FRC or other services
Path 2- not used any longer with Nev Co, Placer Co uses this
to go out with FRC family advocate
Questions from the group:
SCAR form goes to CPS, does it automatically go to law
enforcement?
A: Nev Co Depends on type of abuse. Neglect calls do not
trigger.
Q: What are the barriers to reporting in our community?
A: Nev Co: fear of being exposed as a reporter in a small
community.
A: Placer: CPS gets bad press leading to fear that CPS will
remove children from the home.
Q: Seems to be a discrepancy in numbers from Truckee vs.
North Shore.
A. Placer 10 per month on average; Nevada 65-100 referrals
per month. Truckee numbers drop significantly in the
summer, but we don’t have reporting trends at this meeting.
Q. Is there foster care in our community?
A. None in Placer side, but CSOC can certify family or
friends as foster parents. Is a bit time consuming.
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Q. Any thoughts about over-reporting?
A. Nev Co: If there are 5 people all seeing the same thing,
pick one to report. But don’t assume that someone else is
making a referral if you aren’t.
A. Placer Co: multiple reports of the same thing get lumped
together if they come in at once.
Q. During the summer and you can’t contact school
counselors or mandated reporter, what do we do?
A. You can contact CPS or law enforcement. They will
cross report.
Q. Are warrants decided completely at a judicial level?
A. Yes, in our counties. However, PD can interview kids
without a warrant and can work with CPS in these cases.
Q. How do we deal with kids who are homeless?
A. When giving a referral, give more info (not just
homeless, but rather homeless due to mental health issues or
drug abuse). Homeless without basic needs met will be
assessed.
Trends at the state level
Sheila Boxley, CEO of CAP
Center (Sacramento)
Fiona Lavelle, California Family
Resource Association
Happening at the state level:
-Office of Child Abuse Prevention has developed a short
term plan: emphasis on neglect, interest in strengthening
networks
-Dept Public Health received Essentials of Childhood grant
with purpose of a five year plan in process. Steering
committee meeting now includes F5 and a variety of other
networks. Planning stages continue for 3.5 years.
Legislation tracked by CAP Center.
-trend this year is trying to address child poverty in CA –
25% of kids in state are living in porverty with new more
well defined tool rather than fed pov level. Efforts stem
from this.
-AB924 (Cooley) state children’s trust fund (source for child
abuse prevention efforts) presented by CAP Center
In past, state children’s trust fund has been listed as
a charitable cause on tax forms. Last year for first
time, fell below donation threshold and is going to
fall off the list. Form brought 50% of funding in
the past. This bill seeks to restore the check box
back on the list and specify that some funds be used
to raise awareness of the checkbox. Also some
language about removing the threshold.
-State Earned Income Tax Credit
-Increase state minimum wage
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Agency
ARC
Read Up
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Announcement
Several moms needing English tutors
through library program.
April 9th press
conference about child
abuse prevention
month.
Handouts available
define 5 protective
factors and other
resources from the
CAP Center.
Contact
Sean McAlindin
Rolann Anderson or visit
Truckee Library
FRC of Truckee
Above All Adventures
BBBS
What’s Up Wellness
Family Fun Night
KidZone Museum
Caring for the Caregivers
InnerRhythms
Teresa Crimmens is the new Executive
Director – welcome!
Go to Facebook to help them kick off
Closed office at Joseph Center.
Meeting clients and FRC.
Assessing local youth for suicide
ideation etc. Running out of funding –
GoFundMe and fundraiser in Nevada
City on the 15th.
At Truckee El 5-7PM
Truckee Air Show activities for kids
and free meal for families.
Daddy & Me
Free night for kids 0-7 and their male
adult family members. Free meal and
activities.
5/2-4 at Granlibakken
Dancing with your Sierra Stars on 4/18
at Squaw Valley
Teresa Crimmens
Mike Pugh
Peggy Martin
Truckee FRC
Ileana Vokel
See Rob Leri learn to
ballroom dance 
Call Cindy Maciel for more
info.
Next- Meeting: Tuesday, May 5th: TBA
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